Teleostei (teleosts) >
Siluriformes (Catfishes) >
Clariidae (Airbreathing catfishes)
Etymology: Clarias: Greek, chlaros = lively, in reference to the ability of the fish to live for a long time out of water.
More on author: Günther.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 9°N - 3°N
Africa: Ouémé, Ogun, Oshun, the Niger delta, Niger River up to Lake Kainji and the rivers Benue and Cross, in Benin and Nigeria (Ref. 57129). Also reported from the Ofin River (Pra basin) in Ghana (Ref. 248, 272).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 31.6 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57129)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 74 - 87; Anal soft rays: 57 - 67; Vertebrae: 60 - 62. Diagnosis: tooth plates extremely narrow (Ref. 248, 57129). Vomerine tooth plate very long (Ref. 248), its length almost twice that of the premaxillary plate (Ref. 57129). Width of premaxillary plate 21.5-26.2% of head length, width of vomerine plate 19.0-22.8% of head length, length of vomerine plate 5.2-8.6% of head length (Ref. 57129). Head short and rounded in dorsal outline; eyes relatively large and dorsally located; frontal fontanelle very small, short and squat (`sole-shaped'); occipital fontanelle small and oval-shaped; "dermosphenotic" and supraorbital bones joined by a common suture, except in a specimen of 27 mm SL; pectoral spine robust and slightly curved; openings of secondary canals along lateral line appear as irregular white spots on body (Ref. 248).
Coloration: no information on colour in life (Ref. 57129). Preserved specimens show 2 types of colouration: uniform, with back and sides dark brown and belly lighter; and marbled, with irregular brownish spots against a light background on back and sides, and belly whitish (Ref. 57129). Dorsal and anal fins white-edged (Ref. 57129).
Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); No information is available on the biology of the species (Ref. 78218).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Teugels, G.G., 1986. A systematic revision of the African species of the genus Clarias (Pisces; Clariidae). Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 247:199 p. (Ref. 248)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00676 (0.00366 - 0.01249), b=3.03 (2.87 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (22 of 100).
